


Kiss Me

by LibbyWeasley



Series: Fun and Games [5]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fitz kisses a girl, Jemma kisses a girl, Kisses, Mutual Pining, SHIELD Academy Era, but she wishes she could kiss Fitz, so much pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 07:50:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19352656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibbyWeasley/pseuds/LibbyWeasley
Summary: When Fitz and Jemma both get pulled into Sally's kissing experiment, Jemma realizes there is someone else she'd much rather kiss.





	Kiss Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AgentOfShip](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentOfShip/gifts).



> A very happy birthday to @agentofship <3 I hope you have an amazing day!
> 
> This fic is part of the Fun and Games series and takes place in the Academy Era. There is no game here, but it gives some backstory to things that were mentioned in the rest of the series (including a certain kiss).
> 
> A huge thank you to @blancasplayground for being amazing and wonderful even when I wait until the very last second to ask for her help.

Jemma tried to blame it on the alcohol she had just consumed — vodka always went straight to her head, which was why she preferred gin — but the most logical parts of her brain insisted that wasn’t true at all. When she saw Fitz’s lips locked with Sally’s she _may_ have recognized the stab of white hot heat as jealousy. She was protective of him. That was all. Fitz was her friend, after all, and Sally certainly wasn’t kissing him for the right reasons. Not that she could think of any reasons that would be “right” at this particular moment. 

Scanning the Boiler Room, she scoped out the most efficient path to Fitz’s side. If she took the long way around and squeezed past the couple who appeared to be attempting to fuse themselves together, she should be able to rescue Fitz. He probably wanted to be rescued. He certainly hadn’t mentioned Sally before. Or any other woman for that matter. She had thought that maybe… But that wasn’t important right now. What was important was rescuing Fitz from Sally’s clutches. 

This was why they normally arrived together. But she’d had to finish her experiment and then meet with Professor Weaver and told Fitz to go on without her. 

She dodged around Jonathan, who was looking a little unsteady and waving his beer through the air, and then skirted the group of guys who were looking at her in a way she didn’t quite appreciate, before sneaking a look back at Fitz. He was sitting back in his seat now and seemed to be talking. Sally caught Jemma’s eye over Fitz’s shoulder and smirked before waving for her to join them. At the gesture, Fitz spun in his seat, his brow creasing as he took her in. 

Jemma tugged at her skirt, starting to feel uncomfortable with her clothing choice for the evening. It was a little shorter, and tighter, than she normally wore, but she felt like celebrating after her meeting. Dr. Weaver had mentioned in confidence that both Jemma and Fitz would be graduating early and Jemma was having trouble containing her excitement. Hence the vodka. 

But now it looked like censure she saw in Fitz’s eyes. His expression, normally so open and with a smile that crinkled his eyes when he looked at her, was now clouded and he waited for Sally to scoot over and make room for her rather than making room for her at his side. 

Jemma settled down beside Sally and gave the other woman a grateful smile. Fitz seemed to be avoiding her gaze, taking a long drink of his beer instead, and Jemma started to worry she had intruded on something Fitz didn’t want her to be a part of. That sent a chill through her and she rubbed at the goosebumps on her arms. 

“I’m sorry. Am I interrupting? I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Her gaze was locked on Fitz and she saw color start to rise in his cheeks, but it was Sally who answered. 

“Nah. We were just working on an experiment. I could use your help actually.”

Jemma had no idea what kissing Fitz had to do with any sort of proper scientific experiment, but she shifted her gaze to Sally anyway. 

“What kind of experiment?” Jemma asked with raised eyebrows. 

“A kissing experiment.”

That was all the explanation she got, but it sent her mind spinning. Fitz had kissed Sally because of an...an experiment? Well, it was certainly better than the alternative. And it helped calm the ache in her heart. At least a little. 

Fitz had been her first kiss, of course, as a matter of practicality. Being the youngest was never any fun, especially when everyone liked to tease them about practically being babies. So one night when they were studying, Jemma had suggested, as casually as she could, that they needed some experience with kissing if they were going to be able to fit in with their peers, and the two of them shared their first kiss — as they had shared everything else since starting at the Academy. And then they shared their second and third kisses as well. Just to be sure they were doing it right. 

That night had been several years ago now, and she had kissed other guys since then, but none had quite compared to that very first kiss. Fitz had been tentative, but his lips had been so soft and gentle moving across hers, and when he raised his hands to her cheeks she had almost melted into him. No other kiss had ever measured up to that moment. Jemma had always assumed it was because it was her first experience...and because it was Fitz. She trusted him completely and that made it so much easier to relax into that moment and not obsess over the hundreds of details that could impact how satisfactory a kiss could be. 

But none of that really mattered now. Jemma snuck a glance towards Fitz. He had tamed his curls and his shirt was neatly tucked — the blue button-down was one of her favorites — but she couldn’t help her fingers itching to make him a little messy. If kissing him had been that memorable at 16, she wondered what it would be like now. They had never talked about it so she assumed it hadn’t been as meaningful to him as it had to her. But still...maybe she could ask him to kiss her again. Just so she could reset her benchmark. It was possible time and adrenaline had distorted her memory of that night. 

Fitz frowned at her, noticing her gaze, and she realized that Sally was still talking. Something about the optimal pressure and angles. That was the problem with physicists. It was so theoretical and all they could consider were the physical aspects. They had no appreciation for the biological aspects of attraction. There were hormones and pheromones to consider after all. But...it was a good idea. And wasn’t she just thinking about resetting her benchmark? If it was in the context of an experiment, that should be fine. And even if it wasn’t Fitz, maybe that was fine too. It might be better, even, if she could get that pesky thought out of her mind.

Letting the alcohol in her bloodstream convince her to be bold, Jemma said, “Of course. I’m in.”

Fitz made a little noise, but Jemma ignored him. If he could kiss Sally in front of her, then she could kiss whoever she wanted as well. It wasn’t like there was anything between them. He had never even said anything that would make her think he wanted there to be. And now...well, Sally.

“Yay! Alright, I think I have it almost figured out,” Sally said excitedly. “Fitz was _very_ helpful.”

Sally attempted to shoot him a come hither look, but Fitz didn’t seem to be paying attention. Jemma resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Ever since he had turned 18, there had been a few of their classmates who seemed to be pursuing him -- one had even gone as far as to ask Jemma what kinds of things he was into -- but Fitz hadn’t taken the bait. She was proud of him for being selective and not chasing after the first woman who expressed interest in him. It was important that they focus on their studies and their careers. Together they could do so much good in the world if they stayed focused and didn’t get distracted.

There wasn’t really anything for Jemma to say so she waited for Sally to continue.

“I think I have the right angle now. I just have to turn my head like this.” Sally demonstrated and Jemma secretly thought she looked ridiculous.

“So what do you need me for?” 

“Oh, I thought you could help me with the pressure portion of the equation.” There seemed to be a glint in Sally’s eye and it took a second for Jemma to understand what she was asking. Sally must have noticed her hesitation because she added, “Tell her I’m a good kisser, Fitz.”

Now Jemma wasn’t sure if Sally’s ploy was to kiss Fitz or to kiss her. Not that she had any objections, and maybe she had wondered a time or two, but she didn’t have a close girl friend to ask like she had been able to do with Fitz.

“Oh, ah, yeah.”

“Of course.” Jemma said briskly, before Fitz could add anything else, especially if it was something she didn’t want to hear. “Should we --”

But before she could even finish the question Sally had closed the distance between them. Jemma could see Fitz out of the corner of her eye and his eyes were locked on them, mouth hanging open slightly. She let her eyes drift closed to keep herself from being distracted by Fitz’s reaction.

Her brain immediately registered the differences between this kiss and other kisses. Sally’s lips were sticky with lipgloss. She must have had time to reapply before Jemma had arrived at the table. But her lips were soft and pliant. Jemma responded by pushing closer to increase the pressure. She could tell right away what Sally’s problem had been. Sally shifted beside her and tilted her head like she had done a moment before, which did in fact improve the kiss a great deal.

Jemma pulled back slightly to take a breath and found herself staring into Sally’s green eyes. Those weren’t the eyes she had been picturing when her own had been closed.

“That was really good. One more?” Sally asked.

“Um, yes. One more.”

This time Sally’s hands touched her sides and Jemma could taste the rum from the other woman’s drink as their mouths parted slightly. Out of instinct Jemma traced her tongue along Sally’s lower lip. It was...nice. Technically speaking, it was a perfect kiss. But Jemma didn’t feel any spark. It just reminded her how much she wanted to kiss the man on the other side of the table. But she couldn’t. For the sake of their friendship, which was the most important thing to her. And she hoped once they graduated and got assigned to a lab, their friendship was something she’d get to keep. She couldn’t imagine any of this without him.

The kiss ended as Fitz abruptly stood and jostled the table, untucking his shirt before grabbing the empty beer bottle.

“Everything alright, Fitz?” Jemma asked.

He looked very uncomfortable, eyes darting around, but not looking directly at her. 

“I need another drink. You need anything?”

Jemma opened her mouth to suggest they find somewhere quiet to talk, she did have important news about their impending graduation to share with him after all. They needed to make plans. But before she could say anything, Sally jumped in.

“Grab us another round. Oh, and bring Jonathan over here. I think I’m ready to try out the perfect kiss on him.”

Fitz turned and practically ran to the bar, like he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. Ugh. Hopefully he’d talk to her later, at least.

“Jonathan?” Jemma turned to Sally in surprise.

“Hmmm...yeah. Jonathan.” Sally squinted at her. “You didn’t think I was interested in either of you, did you? Though Fitz is an amazing kisser. He really did help a lot.”

“Oh,” Jemma said softly. This wasn’t how she had imagined her evening going at all -- having Sally tell her that Fitz was such a good kisser. That familiar longing returned again.

“I guess I owe that to you. You’re not too bad yourself.”

“Me?” Jemma squeaked. “I’m sure I didn’t--”

“Oh, come on. No matter what you two say, everyone knows you are together.” Sally gave her a sly smile. “And that thing you did with your tongue across my lips, I’m assuming you taught that to each other because no one else here kisses like that. Oh! Here he comes!”

Jemma turned, expecting to see Fitz making his way back to the table. Instead she saw Jonathan, and her face fell a little.

She would have wanted Fitz back beside her anyway, but being the third wheel to Sally and Jonathan was something she never wanted to repeat again. He finally returned to the table, weighed down with drinks for the three of them -- Jonathan still had his beer firmly in his grasp -- and they exchanged disgusted looks before excusing themselves and finding a more palatable place to drink.

Hours later, pleasantly buzzed, Jemma walked with Fitz back to his dorm. She let out a giggle when he dropped his keys as he tried to unlock the door, no longer remembering why she had followed him to his room. He finally managed to get the door open and she entered first, stumbling into the room. His arms encircled her waist to keep her from falling and they both pitched forward, Fitz kicking the door closed behind him.

Their momentum took them to his bed and they landed in a tangle of limbs, Jemma mostly beneath him. Oh, that was it. She remembered why she was here.

“Fitz?” she whispered into the darkness.

“Hmmm?”

“Will you kiss me?”

“What?”

“To...um...compare notes on earlier. It isn’t really a good experiment if we don’t discuss the results.”

“Yeah… course.”

Lifting her head up so she could reach him, she fumbled in the darkened room until her hands slid into his hair like she’d been wanting to do all night. Then their lips met and she forgot everything else. Kissing him was like coming home. It was probably a little messier than it would have been if they were completely sober, but it didn’t matter.

He was so warm and their lips parted as he rolled to his side so he was no longer pinning her to the bed. She missed the feel of him, but it was easier this way to slot a leg between his and get even closer. Fitz really was a genius.

As much as she was tempted to, she didn’t try to deepen the kiss past their open mouths pressed together. He didn’t either. Which was good, because there were probably some lines that shouldn’t be crossed in their friendship. But his arms were wrapped around her and he didn’t release her. Not when they stopped kissing and she rested her forehead against his chest. And not even when their breathing evened out and sleep overtook them.

When she woke to the sun rising outside his window, his arm was still loosely around her even though they had clearly shifted positions in the night. Sitting up, she bit her lip. Fitz was still sound asleep, not even her movements had disturbed his deep sleep. Memories of the night before came flooding back to her. Waking up in his room wasn’t _that_ unusual. It had certainly happened before after a long night of studying. But she knew that wasn’t what they had been doing, and her motivations weren’t strictly friendly. It had been easy to be careless in the dark. But even then she had known she was taking advantage of him. She had wanted that kiss. Wanted him. But he didn’t see her that way. She should stay until he woke up and apologize at least. But...that wasn’t the conversation she wanted to have with him. She would rather talk about their graduation and their future. Not about something he surely saw as a mistake.

Mind made up, Jemma carefully kissed his cheek, inhaling deeply. Then she made her way to the door and shut it behind her with a click.

* * *

Fitz stayed still until he heard the door close. Bloody hell. Jemma in his bed was some sort of wonderful torture. It really was the worst being friends with her sometimes. He wanted nothing more than to pick up where they had left off the night before, preferably with fewer layers of clothing between them, but they were friends...and friends didn’t do that.

He let himself relive the feel of her lips on his and her body so close to him before burying his head under the pillow. This was bloody embarrassing, that’s what this was. It was bad enough to get pulled into Sally’s “experiment” but it was far worse to let himself forget that he wasn’t supposed to kiss Jemma, even if she asked him to. It had been a long time since that first kiss. Long enough that he could pretend it wasn’t everything he’d ever wanted. But it would take much longer to forget this. The memory was too fresh in his mind. 

But Jemma was just being Jemma. It wasn’t her fault he found her irresistible. That was on him. She hadn’t done anything to indicate she was interested in more, and her hasty exit this morning only confirmed the fact that she thought it had been a mistake. If she had stayed, that would have been different. But her friendship was the most important thing. He could handle anything if she was by his side. And the rest of it...well, he could try to keep that to himself if it meant they would be together. 

After tossing and turning a bit, Fitz was finally saved from his own thoughts by the buzzing of a text on his phone. It was her. Of course it was. It was their tradition to get breakfast together after a night out. Nothing out of the ordinary, no matter how much he wanted it to mean something different. Because no matter how strong his resolve was, he didn’t think he could go on this way forever. Seeing her with Sally had been bad enough. He could clearly remember the taste of her and the feel of her, but kissing her again — in his bed — had been so much better. She was much too important to him to risk ruining everything, but the way he felt about her was also much too important to ignore. He had to get over her and focus on their friendship instead. 

If only she would stop kissing him. The way things were going, it felt like a game he couldn’t win.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I know this isn't the ending we'd all wish for, but the rest of the fics in this series get them to their happy ending.
> 
> Thanks for reading! You can find me on Tumblr @LibbyWeasley


End file.
